12 weeks

Baby's now the size of a plum!
As you move into the second trimester, babies shift into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of their systems are fully formed.


I always run late on posting these - I'll try to do better from now on. And even now that I know that the 2nd tri doesn't "officially" start until I finish week 13, I still feel so much better about this PG. Plus, I'm really ready to not feel so damn tired all the time.

Speaking of being tired... ::yawn:: maybe I'll take a nap before the festival...

That's not too bad

On the tail of my D+ in Crim Pro, I got the grade for my other summer class today.

A-. Seriously! My first ever "A" in law school. I still think it is a mistake, but I'm not about to point it out to anyone. Is that an honor code violation? ;)

Tonight I am going to Germania's Oktoberfest - the first one of the season. So it goes w/o saying that I will be eating like a fat ass tonight. Pretzel w/ cheese, maybe a schnitzel sandwich, and of course a funnel cake. Ahh, I love fall.

Ugh...school, etc.

I haven't been posting nearly as often as I think I should, but then again maybe I just have a really boring life and nothing to say.

To recap the last week or so, I got my grade for one of my summer classes. Yikes. I'm lucky they are letting me stay in school, let's just put it that way. However, missing like 2 weeks of class due to the OHSS fiasco right before exams didn't help. Oh well, at least I don't have to repeat it. It is sad how low my expectations have become the further I get into law school. Good for all of those people at the top of the class - that will never be me.

I also found out that one of my friends, who was diagnosed with PCOS earlier this summer, found out her husband also has morphology issues. After hearing the results, I don't believe they are as bad as they look on paper, but it is never pleasant to find out something like that. So ((hugs)) to her. I hope the first couple rounds of Clomid do the trick for her.

Last night, after not having messed with the doppler for awhile, I dug it out of the drawer. And I found both h/bs w/in 10 minutes! They were so very nice to hear...I could listen to them all day long. Not that I needed any reassurance that I'm PG, b/c I am like a bottomless pit lately. The amount of food that I have been eating is ridiculous. And the crazy part is I never feel full. Furthermore, I ate a turkey club on an asiago parmesan bagel yesterday, and it was delicious. Yes, I ate cold lunchmeat and it was probably one of the best-tasting things I have eaten in a long time. Well, until the shells and cheese I ate for dinner last night. :)

11 weeks

Baby's now the size of a lime!
Your fetuses currently enjoy a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and have skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

First OB appointment

I had my first OB appointment today. I didn't see my regular OB, but another from the practice who I had never met before. He did a pap, since my last one was in May, 2009 and then we listened to both heartbeats on the doppler! IDK why, but that just seems like such a big milestone for me. No u/s, which was disappointing, but hearing the h/bs is good enough for me at this point. Also, my OB didn't mention doing an NT scan. I know most people get it done b/w 10 and 12 weeks. He just told me to come back in 2 weeks, so I go back 9/4. I'm not really that worried about the scan (b/c I'm keeping both babies no matter what the tests say), but I still might call tomorrow. OB also suggested that a low-lying placenta is the cause of my spotting. I'll take it - at least it is some sort of explanation.

You may have also noticed that the due date on my ticker keeps changing. I was going by the EDD on the u/s, but I have decided to stick with the date going from my ER. That puts me into my 12th week, and that makes me feel better; closer to being out of the 1st tri.

Goodbye and Hello

My last appointment with my RE was Sunday...remember, when I passed the clot and had an emergency u/s? It was kind of a sad way to end it. No one was in the office except me and Dr. T, and I think he was in a bit of a hurry to leave - not that I can blame him b/c it was noon on a Sunday. Remember? I brought in a thank you card and a box of chocolates a couple of weeks before. One nurse told me later that everyone loved the candy. (Surprise, I already knew they would. I worked in a hospital. People who work in hospitals for some reason love candy more than the average person; at least it always seemed that way.) L of course made fun of me for doing it, but I thought it was appropriate. I really did like everyone there. It will be wierd not going in at least once a week.

Last night, I met a friend from thebump.com IRL! It was pretty cool. I had been talking to her for awhile on the message boards, and when I mentioned getting a doppler, she generously offered to let me borrow hers! She is pretty far along with identical twins - speaking of which I hope they are growing up a storm and that you feel better soon! I tried to hear my babies with the doppler when I got home, but I really had no idea where to start looking so it's not surprising I couldn't find either one.

Today, I have my first appt. with my OB, Dr. S. I have been seeing him for awhile, and he is really nice. I have a nice list of questions written out to ask him. "Does he have a lot of experience with multiples? Do I need to see a peri also? Will he support my desire for a vaginal birth with twins? Is he willing to do a breech extraction should it come to that?" I'm sure doctors hate people like me. I'm pretty excited to go, though. I think he will probably do a regular abdominal u/s - I think I will really feel PG then. Up till now it has been my old friend, the dildo-cam.

Frustrating update: I hadn't spotted since early Sunday morning. Then I go to use the restroom this afternoon and, lo and behold, it's my old friend, Spot. WTF? Just go away and leave me alone, creepy. At this point, I can't even freak out anymore. I just sigh...and then go check every 30 minutes to see if I'm still spotting. Seriously.

10 weeks

Baby's now the size of a prune!
With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, the babies are making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)

Another u/s this morning

I woke up and passed a nickel-sized clot. Thank God the RE was able to get me in. Here is what we found.

Everything was perfect.

RE still couldn't tell me where the blood was coming from, but he did restart my PIO for at least another week. Yay.

On a brighter note, L and I saw both babies dancing around. It was amazing; we are so, so blessed.

Even more spotting

WTF? Are these babies just messing with me? I get up this morning and go to the restroom, and there is the lightest of light spotting when I wipe. Wipe again, even lighter.

Get to work, lighter still. But there. Believe me, I held pee-soaked TP right up to my face.

I have officially lost it. Guess I have to call the docs again to make another note on my chart.

::sigh::

How will I ever make it until next Thursday for another u/s? Anyone know where you can rent a fetal doppler around Cincinnati, OH?

More spotting

I started spotting again around 5 pm yesterday evening. Same type of blood as before. It stopped by this morning; since it stopped I'm trying not to worry. I called the RE and my OB just to let them know. RE nurse said everything sounds fine and to just take it easy, which I plan on doing.

Gah! I hate my cervix.

No more spotting

It stopped yesterday afternoon.

:)

Freak out

Yesterday, I awoke to bloody underwear at 7 am. Red blood. I went to the bathroom and there was more when I wiped. Went back to bed for an hour. When I got up the second time, more blood in the underwear and more when I wiped. I tried not to freak out - got a shower, then went back in the bathroom. This time, when I wiped, there were long, stringy clots on the TP.

I immediately freaked out. I called my OB; apparently they weren't open b/c an answering service paged the doc for me. He called back quickly, and didn't seem too concerned. He told me to call the office back at 8:30 when they open and schedule an u/s "just to make sure everything's okay."
I called them right at 8:30, and the soonest appt. they had was 1 pm.

Then I called my mom. Then I got into a fight with L b/c I am "too negative. It's probably nothing - I stress out too much." On the way to work, I called my friend K, a nurse. Not even an OB nurse, so I don't know why I always call her about this stuff. She said, "1 pm is unacceptable. Call your RE and see if they can get you in sooner. If not, I will meet you at the ER." Ahh, that's why I call her. She always knows just what to say.

I called the RE and, thankfully, a nurse answered the phone. I told her what was going on, she got off the phone for a minute, then returned and told me to come in right away. Idk why, but the RE telling me to come in right away freaked me out even more. I walked into work, told my boss I had to go to the doctor, started crying while I telling him (awesome), and then walked right back out. On the way to the RE - still crying by the way - I called L to tell him to meet me at the RE, I called Kelly to tell her I got in, and called my mom just b/c I wanted my mommy. My mom started crying immediately.

When I got to the office, they brought me back right away, and got right down to business. Both babies looked perfect; measuring perfectly and h/bs were 176 and 185. Baby B was even dancing around and moving his little arms and legs. I asked Dr. T about the spotting and the clots and he said he didn't have an explanation for me. No active bleeding in the cervix, and none in the uterus that he could see. He also said to get ready, b/c these babies are going to be driving me crazy for at least the next 50 years, and I don't doubt that for a minute.

My Pregnancy: Week 9

Baby's now the size of a green olive!
My little embryos have now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating hearts. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, babies are kind of starting to look like...well...babies!

Evansville, IN

I was out of town for work all last week - left early Tuesday afternoon and got back Friday evening around 7 p.m. The highlight of the trip? There were a few. 1 was the shower in the hotel; it was one of those rainfall showerhead plus there were all kinds of heads built into the wall. It was heavenly. The bed was also amazing, as was having a king-sized bed and 4 huge pillows all to myself.

The other highlight? Eating Chick-fil-A for lunch. Serio. I haven't eaten it since I graduated from undergrad in 2005, and it was just as awesome as I remember. The downside of the trip? Having to actually work for 3 whole days and not being able to get on the internet. :( You shouldn't have to work so much at work. I should tell my boss that.

The nights were boring b/c the only thing to do in the town was go to the casino. Not only did I not have any money to gamble, but 2 of the younger guys who went the first night said they had to take 2 showers when they got home b/c of how thick the cigarette smoke was. Probably not the best environment for a PG lady. Anyway, I think the trip overall was a good opportunity so I'm glad I went.

2nd PG u/s

I had my 2nd u/s today with Dr. T, and I'm so glad I did. It was such hell getting in - I guess I finally annoyed the nurses enough that Dr. T decided to make a "very special exception" and double-book me this morning. My appointment was scheduled for 9, but L and I waited an hour to get back to see the doc. I brought a big box of chocolate and a card for the entire office - they really are great.

When we finally get the u/s, both babies looked great! Thank God! Baby A was a little hard to see since he is behind Baby B and further away from the probe; Dr. T said that might be why he "appears" to be a little smaller. He was only measuring 8w0d rather than 8w2d, but his heart rate was good at 173, up from 102 2 weeks ago. Baby B was much easier to see and was measuring 8w2d with a h/b of 183. Due date is the same as what they gave me last time: March 14th. So while the babies are measuring 3 days behind where I thought they would be based on the date of my ER, their growth was perfect from what they were at my last u/s. Dr. T seemed happy, I am ecstatic and I am officially released from my RE.

I see my regular Ob 8/20. I can't wait!

And I really can't wait to quit this PIO. There isn't a not-sore spot on my whole ass. 2 more weeks to go.

Google Obsession and Scheduling Conflicts

I have to admit that I am terrified. My only symptoms up until last weekend were exhaustion and extremely sore bbs. Then, all of a sudden, in the past week - I'm tired, but not as tired as I was. My bb soreness has slowly been decreasing, and now is gone altogether. I feel like i have some food aversions, but I can't really tell. Idk how I am supposed to be feeling. Everyone tells me that I should feel lucky not to have any symptoms; just enjoy it while it lasts.

Yeah, thanks anyway, but I'd like at least some symptoms. I never thought I'd be wishing to throw up, but bring on the m/s. So, again, I have been googling every bad outcome out there. "Vanishing twin", "missed miscarriage", "pronounced loss of symptoms", "abnormal gestational sac."

I'm sick. Seriously, I need help. Someone stop me.

Then, I found out yesterday that I am going out of town for my first-ever work trip. Nowhere cool - Evansville, Indiana. I leave Tuesday around 4 and come back Friday night at 10 p.m. Now, you may remember that my next u/s is scheduled for this Thursday. I accepted the opportunity for the work trip thinking I could get in for my u/s earlier. I called my RE, and no go. "Sorry, we're completely booked up Monday and Tuesday." "Okay, what about Friday afternoon?" (This was when I thought I would be back by Friday afternoon.) "Well, the RE really doesn't like to do PG u/s's on Friday afternoons."

Excuse me? He "doesn't like to?" I don't like to work on Friday afternoons either, but my boss and customers aren't too receptive to that. I understand that 2 of the 3 doctors left the practice suddenly, leaving only Dr. T to do all the procedures, all the monitoring - everything. But if that is the case, he should be willing to do PG u/s's whenever he can. I paid him a lot of money. That is bullshit; I'm sorry.

Then, I called my OB, hoping that I could get in there early, since my first u/s with him is scheduled for 8/20. The nurse at the OB's office was very nice and helpful, but regretfully informed me that b/c Dr. T had not "released me to their care", they couldn't treat me at all. But she did offer me a possible solution. She told me to call the RE's office first thing Monday morning and ask him to write me a script to get a u/s at an outpatient center. I actually called immediately after I hung with her and left a message. Hopefully they agree to do that - if they are that understaffed, Dr. T should be willing to sub out some of his duties.

We'll see what happens.